Strong Towns Blono is committed to doing incremental projects to improve our community, empower regular residents, and show that doing the next smallest thing is key to revitalizing our city. If you like what you see, please donate to us so we can continue our work!
Front N Center Design Charrette
Status Completed: October 2025
Lead: Tyler Pessler
Our Urban Centers Revitalization Committee has completed a charrette to identify alternatives to the current state of development on two highly visible but troubled blocks in Downtown Bloomington. A charrette is a collaborative process in which stakeholders, community members, designers, and architects brainstorm design.
The charrette focused on the lots of Front N Center and its vicinity would propose plausible alternatives to consigning these spaces to parking lot. Though the Urban Centers Revitalization Committee of Strong Towns Blono ran the exercise, a variety of community volunteers participated.
Biergarten and restaurant. 
Parking lot of the market hall can double as an event space. Shipping containers have public art on them. 
Corner of Madison and Front Streets looking west. Main entrance to the market hall with commissary kitchens. 
Restaurant and bistro style seating on Center Street by the hotel. 
Apartment units with a rooftop deck and residential zen garden. 
Aerial view of the new Front N Center campus showing the restaurant and apartment building. 
Alley of trees and string lights that separate the pop-up retail space and the parking lot to the north. 
Farmers market hall allows for more vendor spaces in our bustling downtown. 
Aerial view of the new Front N Center campus showing parking. 
Green area for seating and dining next to the public restrooms and market structure. 
Pop-up retail space with tables and chairs in the center (public art not shown). 
Interior of the market hall, with space for gathering and eating (tables and booths not modeled). 
The 80-100 room hotel where the former Front N Center was located. 
Urban grocery store with apartments above on the Washington Street entrance to the market campus.
Sidewalk Mural Project
Status Completed: May 2025
Lead: Dr. Katherine McCarthy
We have completed a beautiful set of circus themed murals between the Bloomington Public Library and downtown Bloomington. This acts as a way to encourage pedestrian activity between the two nodes, foster a sense of civic pride, and draw attention to our circus roots. Artist Delia Kerr-Dennhardt and an army of volunteers worked tirelessly during the entire month of May to install these! Over 160 volunteer hours have been clocked!
Downtown Survey Project
Status: Completed January 2025
Lead: Tyler Pessler
Our 2024 Priority Campaign to conduct a survey of Downtown Bloomington to gauge vacancies, ADA compliance, and complete a tax analysis. In the cold of January, we assembled a cohort of vest-wearing volunteers to go block by block to analyze downtown buildings. The final product included maps, social media videos, and long form posts to educate residents about the heart of our community.
Trash Pickups
Status: Ongoing
Lead: Executive Committee
Our hallmark project is the recurring trash pickups that we conduct in various core neighborhoods and downtown. If you would like to recommend a place for us to clean up, fill out this form.
Bus Bench Projects
Status: Dormant
Lead: Anthony Crispin
Several of our group members back in the day committed acts of “Guerrilla urbanism” where they installed several DIY bus benches for Connect Transit stops in the community without the permission of the bus company. Unfortunately, those benches were removed under threat of legal action. We have been attempting to work with the agency to establish a “community sponsored bus stop” program but to no success so far.
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